Teddy Girls - The Fashion of London's Girl Gangs
Header Image Source: https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/8064/teddy-girls-the-style-subculture-that-time-forgot
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By Hannah Schmidt-Rees
Combining Edwardian fashion with the rebellious attitude of American rock'n'roll, the Teddy Girls (also known as Judies) created a subculture with a never seen before visual identity. Whilst their fashion was respectable, their smart dressing made them more intimidating rather than mature. Full of middle-class rebellious teenagers, Teddy Girls were essentially a well-dressed middle finger towards the austere upper classes of their post-war world. Forming gangs and becoming important figures in the media, Teddy Girls are one of the first British female youth subcultures to exist, and one of the most forgotten.
A predecessor to the Punk movement of the late 1970's, a subculture is born from a feeling of isolation from society. In the 1950's, the post-war society was emerging and flourishing, and the younger generations were feeling bored and unhappy with the world around them. Feeling alienated by society, the youth of London turned to each other to feel like a sense of belonging. Their better-known counterpart; the Teddy Boys emerged in the post war period. The economic boom led to the British youth having more money to spend on higher quality clothing. This led to the revival of Edwardian fashion, and thus the subculture of the Teddy Boys were born. Their long Edwardian coats were paired with rock'n'roll 'greaser' hair styles, creating an overall look that shocked the older generations and higher classes.
However, the creation of the Teddy Girls were seen as a higher threat to society than their male counterparts. At the time, working class girls were still expected to stay in school, or become part of the workforce or part of the home. Many Teddy Girls were only 14 or 15 years old, often leaving school to work in factories or in secretarial jobs. Now with financial independence, they would spend their wages (which were lower than their male counterparts) on drape jackets, velvet collars, rolled-up jeans, flat shoes, boater hats, clutch bags and brooches, Teddy Girls created their looks from thrift stores, often paying in small increments. Meeting up to go the cinema, dances and concerts, collecting rock'n'roll magazines and records; the Teddy Girls are one of the first examples of a self-created teenage market. The post-war world is often known for the resurfacing of traditional femininity; the post-war economic boom resulted in women being able to spend more on clothing that fulfils the 'all American family dream', becoming the perfect feminine housewife. Women no longer wore pants as their working role in the war ended and Dior's new look became highly prominent at this time. The Teddy Girl's appropriation of masculine clothing definitely contrasted from the expectations of their society. Boxy suits, short slicked-back hair and muted colours contrast from the bright figure hugging and finger-waved hair looks that were marketed to the youth at the time.
Similar to Punk, the Teddy Girl gangs became notorious in the media for their involvement in petty crimes, most of which was exaggerated and caused by the Teddy Boys. From bootlegging to rioting and vandalism, many Teddy Girls simply embodied the visual lifestyle, while many Teddy Boys took a darker path. Many Teddy Boys were part of racist attacks against immigrants. The focus on the violent Teddy Boys unfortunately led to the Teddy Girls being left in the land of historical anonymity. It wasn’t until photographs by Ken Russell were discovered in 2005, that the story of the Teddy Girls became known.
It's unfortunate the story of the Teddy Girls remains unknown. The story of young working class British women rebelling against the societal norms and embracing their independence through their fashion is unfairly covered up by the intense, racist and violent behaviour of their male counterparts. Thankfully, original images of the Teddy Girls have been found, and we can now appreciate their fearless pursuit to live the lives they want, without being held down by the society around them.